If Coffee be the Food of Love
by Telperion
Summary: Jack is angry, and Daniel gets the wrong impression. Slash.


Disclaimer: Jack, Daniel, and the rest of the SGC belong to MGM et al. I'm just borrowing them for a while, more's the pity.

If Coffee be the Food of Love…

Fresh from his latest mission debriefing, Daniel walked down the corridor and turned into his office, wanting nothing more than a cup of coffee and a quiet half-hour to write up his report.

However, when he entered the office, he found that it was already occupied, and that he was being glared at furiously by one Colonel Jack O'Neill.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!"

Jack's voice was so loud that he managed to startle the scientist who had been walking up the hallway just behind Daniel. There was an audible thud as the scientist's pile of papers hit the floor, and Daniel hurried back out of the office to help the poor man gather his reports together again.

Five minutes later, having picked up all the paper and sent the scientist on his way, Daniel stood in the middle of the corridor considering his still-open office door. Judging by Jack's rather loud question, the Colonel was none too pleased with him, and Daniel was seriously considering beating a hasty retreat and settling for the coffee in the commissary, disgusting as it was. However, that plan was scuppered when Jack stuck his head round the doorframe and beckoned to Daniel, accompanying the gesture with another glare. Sighing heavily, Daniel obeyed the summons and shuffled back into his office.

After closing the door to make sure that no other highly trained scientists were startled into forgetting half of their PhDs, Daniel turned around to face the music. What he hadn't expected, however, was that he would be facing it at such close range. Jack was stood right behind him, less than two feet away, and he was still glaring.

"I repeat, what the hell did you think you were doing?" said Jack, his voice quieter now, but no less vehement.

Daniel sighed again. "Honestly, Jack, I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied wearily.

"I'm talking about you getting yourself captured – again, and me having to come and rescue your ass – again!"

So that was Jack's problem: Daniel becoming the focus of the latest group of nasties to be encountered through the Stargate.

"I don't do it on purpose, you know," said Daniel mildly, hoping to diffuse Jack's anger through reason, although at the same time part of him sensed this was a useless idea.

Jack snorted. "Well sometimes, Daniel, you could've fooled me," he replied. "This is the third time in as many months that you've ended up at the mercy of some 'undesirable' people."

Daniel frowned. Evidently he wasn't getting out of this by using logic. So instead he decided to try psychology.

"What is this really about, Jack?" he asked.

Jack blinked and relaxed his guard for a second, which was all the time Daniel needed to slip out from between the Colonel and the door. Normally he liked being that close to Jack. Hell, under normal circumstances he liked it a lot. Except that these didn't appear to be normal circumstances, and this was definitely _not_ the right time to engage in the arts of seduction. Daniel strongly suspected that if he tried it on, all it would earn him would be a punch in the jaw, followed by the cold shoulder for the rest of the week. Or, at least, for as long as Jack could hold out until he caved.

So Daniel was opting instead for a strategic retreat, extracting himself from between Jack and the door and hurrying over to the other side of the room, where he could put his desk between him and the rather irate Colonel.

Unfortunately, he was now trapped, as was soon proved by Jack following him across the room and stationing himself on the other side of the table. Daniel now couldn't reach the door without passing Jack, and Jack knew it.

"What it's really about, Daniel, is the fact that I don't like having to watch you be forcibly taken from me, and then finding you hours or days later covered in bruises and barely able to stand."

Daniel's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't expected Jack to admit the problem quite so easily, and it had put him a little on the back foot. Childishly, he pointed out the flaw in Jack's scenario. "I didn't have any bruises this time. Doctor Fraiser has pronounced me to be in perfect health."

Jack shook his head impatiently. "Details, Daniel. You know what I mean."

Now Daniel smiled, albeit a little sadly. "Yes, Jack, I know what you mean." Then he paused. "It's happening, isn't it?" he said finally.

Jack blinked again. "What's happening?" he asked.

"What we swore we'd never let happen. We're letting our relationship get in the way of our work."

Jack's eyes widened. "Whoa, hang on a minute," he said, holding his hands up in protest. "How did we get from me being pissed off at you for allowing yourself to get bound and gagged again to 'we're letting our relationship get in the way of our work'?"

Daniel's expression cleared a little. "You mean we're not letting that happen?" he asked, a little hesitantly.

"Hell, no. For crying out loud, Daniel, I'm just blowing off some steam. You're kinda the only person I can actually rant about this to, you know. I don't think Carter and Teal'c particularly want me bending their ears about how worried I am about my lover getting his ass kicked…again."

"So me and you being on the same team is not affecting your judgement?" asked Daniel.

"Er…no," replied Jack. "Do you see me stopping you from going through the Stargate, or trying to negotiate with the bad guys? Do I leap in front of you every time someone points a weapon at you? Do I…"

"Okay, okay, I get the point. Although, it would be nice if you jumped between me and the weapons a little more often. I would get shot less that way." Daniel grinned as Jack scowled at him, and then watched as the scowl gradually transformed itself into a matching grin.

"In your dreams, Daniel, in your dreams. I get shot at quite enough as it is, thank you very much."

"Yeah, what is it with people wanting to shoot us? Have we got neon signs over our heads that say 'please kill me, or at the very least render me unconscious'?"

"I think we must have, Danny," said Jack, his grin widening. Then, abruptly, is disappeared. "Look, Daniel," he continued. "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression just now. I just worry about you, that's all. And that worry drives me crazy sometimes, believe me."

"Oh, I believe you, Jack. And by the way, you don't have the monopoly on worrying. You've had your fair share of captures and near-death situations, and I've nearly gone out of my mind every single time. But it comes with the territory. We've just got to learn to live with it."

Jack grinned again, a little ruefully this time. "Yeah, I guess," he replied. "But I think we're doing a pretty good job so far, don't you?"

"Absolutely," confirmed Daniel. "Although I would appreciate it if you didn't yell at me every time I get myself captured. It's not exactly what a man expects to return to after he's been rescued by his nearest and dearest."

"Yeah, sorry about that," said Jack. "I'll try to tone it down in future. Although I'm not promising anything. You really wind me up sometimes, you know that?"

"I'm well aware of that fact, Jack," said Daniel, a little suggestively.

The two men stood looking at each other across the desk for a few seconds, until Daniel noticed that Jack's grin had taken on a distinctly predatory edge.

"Jack…" he said warningly, wondering what he had started.

"Daniel?" Jack started to move slowly around the desk, never taking his eyes off Daniel for a second.

Daniel, feeling rather like a rabbit caught in the headlights, took a step backwards. Unfortunately, he hadn't noticed that his chair was right behind him, and as the back of his legs hit the seat, he sat down rather heavily.

That was all Jack needed. He pounced, and suddenly Daniel found himself being kissed, rather forcefully and very passionately. He reciprocated in kind until suddenly his higher brain functions kicked in. Breaking the kiss, he pushed Jack away from him slightly.

"Jack, we shouldn't be doing this here. Not on the base, remember?"

"Oh, don't worry, Daniel. That was just a preview. As soon as we've both finished our reports I'm taking you home and showing you just how glad I am that you are once again back with me safe and sound."

Daniel swallowed. The predatory look was still firmly in place on Jack's face, and the archaeologist felt simultaneous bolts of arousal and nervousness shoot through him.

However, the arousal quickly gained the upper hand as Jack leaned forward and whispered in his ear.

"And make sure you drink lots of coffee. You're going to need the energy."

Then he planted another passionate kiss on Daniel's lips before straightening up and sauntering out of the office.

Daniel just sat for a few seconds, trying reorganise his scrambled brain. How Jack expected him to concentrate on writing a report now, he wasn't quite sure. Then he jumped as Jack abruptly poked his head back round the doorframe.

"Coffee, Daniel. Drink up."


End file.
